Want to Take an Alaska Cruise? Big Ships vs. Small Ships.

I’ve taken two cruises in Alaska with Holland America Line, the most recent time on Nieuw Amsterdam. (Photo by John Roberts)

I cruised in Alaska twice this past year.  

Once on a small ship — like really small — and once on a traditional big cruise ship. 

I definitely have a preference, but let’s hold off on that for now. In this post, I want to tell you all about just how enriching it is to take a cruise to Alaska and how both small-ship cruises and big-ships sailings offer great experiences. 

Of course, your choice depends on the type of vacation you’re looking for. 

A Small-Ship Adventure in Alaska 

Expect plenty of scenery like this during your small-ship cruise in Alaska. I took advantage of this hot tub on UnCruise’s Safari Explorer almost every day, (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)

I have taken a handful of small-ship cruises in Alaska. The most recent was my third time sailing in Alaska with UnCruise Adventures. Colleen and I cruised this year on the 36-passenger ship Safari Explorer for UnCruise’s new itinerary in Prince William Sound, a remote and incredibly beautiful part of Alaska. 

I think that UnCruise is the best cruise line in Alaska. The company offers incredibly fun expeditions on ships that range in size from 36 to 86 passengers, and these immersive trips get into spots where the big ships can’t go for trips that are highly focused on getting outdoors and enjoying Alaska as a natural playground. 

I also have cruised on the 186-passenger ship Ocean Victory. Others to consider in the small-ship category would be National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, Alaskan Dream Cruises, American Cruise Line and The Boat Company. 

A Big-Ship Cruise to Alaska 

Cruisers gather to look at the scenery on Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam during the voyage in Alaska. (Photo by John Roberts)

Most of the large cruise lines offer itineraries during the highly popular Alaska cruise season. You can find cruises on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line ships. I’ve been on Alaska cruises with Holland America Line (twice) and Princess Cruises.  

You also can find sailings available with luxury cruise lines such as Oceania, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Seabourn and Cunard. 

Holland America and Princess have a built a fantastic reputation for offering the top experiences for the bigger ships offering trips in Alaska. HAL was the first cruise company to have voyages there and has been doing so for more than 75 years.  

Princess, likewise, has an incredible depth of knowledge and history, cruising in Alaska for more than 55 years. 

This year, we took a cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam to see Southeast Alaska, traveling from Whittier through the Inside Passage and ending in Vancouver. 

Now that I’ve set the stage about how you can go there and who you might pick for these trips, let’s have a look at why you might pick a big ship for your Alaska cruise. 

Five Best Things About a Large-Ship Cruise to Alaska 

1. It’s More Budget Friendly 

This is our balcony cabin on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam. I recommend a balcony stateroom when you cruise in Alaska, so you can fully enjoy all the wonderful views. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)

Prices for Alaska cruises are cheapest on the bigger ships. With more people onboard these big vessels, you gain the benefits of economies of scale, meaning a lower-priced per-person cruise fare. While Alaska cruises come at a premium price when compared with Caribbean cruises, the sailings on the bigger mega-ships cost a lot less than those on ships that carry just 40 to 200 people, for example.  

My search for the 2025 season found cruises on ships like Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, Holland America Line’s Noordam and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge priced from $800 to $1,100 per person for a weeklong sailing in an interior stateroom. 

Conversely, a six- to eight-day Alaska cruises with Lindblad range from $4,000 to almost $8,000 per person. UnCruise Adventures’ weeklong expeditions in Southeast Alaska cost from $4,500 to $6,000 per person.  

Note that shore excursions are not included for the large-ship cruises, and most shore excursions and activities, as well as drinks, will be included in your fare on the small-ship sailings in Alaska. 

2. A Big Variety of Onboard Entertainment  

Nieuw Amsterdam features an all-weather pool area, so I was able to swim during my Alaska cruise. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)

While the main attraction is the destination of Alaska and all the sightseeing and activities you can enjoy in this special place, a big-ship cruise includes quite a bit more. 

The ships are made to appeal to all kinds of travelers, and the onboard programming and amenities offers a lot to choose from. So, when you cruise to Alaska, you also will have live music performances in the lounges and bars, as well as Broadway-style song and dance productions in the ship’s main theater. 

You also can expect to see activities like trivia contests, wine, beer or cocktail tasting sessions, game shows and slot machine pulls or poker contests. Most big cruise ships also feature casinos. 

Plus, you’ll have pools onboard, so there could be music, barbecues, parties and other activities and music around the pool areas. Of course, this would be dependent on the weather in Alaska or whether your particular ship has a retractable-roof/all-weather main pool area. 

Alaska-specific entertainment includes enrichment talks and other presentations that focus on the history, wildlife and culture of the region. Cruise lines travel with or bring onboard expert speakers and naturalists to deliver fascinating chats about the native people of the region or to discuss specific topics like the gold rush and mining in Alaska or how to spot and identify birds, whales and other wildlife. 

Also, when your ship visits the state’s pristine national parks, such as Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, park rangers come aboard and offer narration during your time in these beautiful glacier-filled fjords. 

These experts talk over an intercom system and tell cruisers all about the geology, natural features of the park, and history of the area. He or she also will point out the various animals that you are seeing and help identify them and discuss their behaviors. 

3. Multiple Dining and Bar Options 

Large cruise ships offer specialty restaurants, such as Morimoto By Sea onboard Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)

If you’re like me, food and drinks are a big part of the travel experience. Fortunately, Alaska is a wonderful place to enjoy deliciously fresh cuisine and tasty beers and other beverages. Big ships can feature more than a dozen dining venues and a nearly equal number of bars and lounges. 

You’ll always have a great variety of traditional favorites, with pizza, burgers, a buffet and a steakhouse. You also can expect to find specialty dining, which might offer meals like Asian fusion, sushi, Italian or seafood. 

This is the seafood feast we enjoyed onboard our Holland America Line cruise in Alaska. (Photo by John Roberts)

In Alaska, though, the menus around the ship will feature fresh-caught seafood from the nearby waters and fisheries. You’ll find the daily menus offering dishes made with salmon, king crab, scallops, shrimp and halibut. 

Most lines also cater to craft beer lovers, stocking a selection of wonderful varieties brewed in Alaska. 

4. Dozens of Shore Excursions to Pick From 

In Skagway, we picked the White Pass & Yukon Route scenic railroad ride. (Photo by John Roberts)

You’ll visit ports such as Juneau, Sitka, Skagway, Whittier, Seward, Ketchikan, Wrangell and Anchorage. In each of these spots, the cruise lines offer dozens of exciting shore excursions. You can find everything from history-based tours of these old frontier towns to hiking, biking, kayaking, snorkeling, boat and helicopter rides, whale watching, Iditarod dogsledding experiences, fishing and salmon bakes. 

Cruises on the big ships in Alaska dock in these towns and cities and feature a much wider variety of activities that appeal to travelers of all interests and abilities. This differs greatly from the smaller ships that tend to stick to remote areas and have a program based on choosing from a couple daily options that focus on hiking, skiff tours or kayaking in the wild. 

5. Kids Programs and Services Draw Families 

Aside from the price being more affordable, parents can get a break if they want to bring their kids on an Alaska cruise. Most large cruise lines offer fantastic facilities and programs for young cruisers.  

The ships have special kids clubs with licensed counselors who organize daily activities if your kids want to join new friends in making memories on their cruise. Kids are grouped by age, typically 3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15 to 17 or some similar groupings. 

There will be facilities and special rooms with games, arts and crafts and other activities available for the kids to enjoy among their peers. Some ships also offer baby-sitting services and group dinners for the kids so that parents can have a date night or portion of their evening away from the kids.  

When you pick an Alaska cruise on a ship with a kids club program, it can make the overall trip planning and execution more hassle-free. 

I always have a pretty good time on a large-ship cruise, whether it’s in Alaska or anywhere else in the world. But the smaller cruise ship experience is truly my favorite, and this is especially true when going such a special place like the Last Frontier. 

Five Best Things About a Small-Ship Cruise to Alaska 

Small-ship cruises with companies like UnCruise Adventures take you into remote areas for activities like kayaking. (Photo by John Roberts)

1. It’s a Crowd-Free Experience  

UnCruise Adventures’ Safari Explorer carries just 36 cruisers for expeditions in Alaska. (Photo by John Roberts)

The small ships sail where few others go. You certainly won’t see the bigger ships in the remote bays and deep into the fjord up closer to the glaciers where small cruise ships navigate. When I sailed with UnCruise in Prince William Sound in late spring, we saw one big ship cruising along miles away in the main sea channel while we were kayaking around remote small islands in the company of sea lions hunting for salmon. 

You probably will depart from a larger port city such as Juneau or Whittier, but once you’re out in the wilderness, your days are spent at anchor in beautiful quiet bays or fjords where you venture out for your activities such as long hikes, shore walks, bushwhacking in the temperate forest, kayaking up to the face of a glacier or bird and whale watching on skiff tours. 

Then, you overnight in idyllic coves or bays and wake up surrounded by 360 degrees of majestic scenery each new day. 

It really nourishes the soul to be out among a small group people and enjoying the fresh air and scenery of Alaska. 

2. The Wilderness Is Your Playground 

Expedition cruises allow you to visit the special parts of Alaska in ways that are off limits to the bigger ships. (Photo by John Roberts)

The itineraries are flexible, as the captain and your expedition team use their knowledge of the area and forecasts for the winds and weather conditions to seek out the best serene spots to find new thrills each day. 

We have visited Glacier Bay and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks, going deep into the wilderness to find little narrow arms and sheltered coves to set up operations for the day. The expedition team leads you out on kayaking tours or hikes. These types of cruises generally offer a range of activity levels that scale up from easy skiff tour to intense and challenging hikes.  

Slide Show: Amazing Small-Ship Cruising Adventures in Alaska

The guides are passionate about Alaska and eager to share it with you, giving fabulous information about the plants, trees, animals and landscapes and also designing the excursions to fit what you might like to do. They will take note of people who are seeking more intense outings vs. those who want a more leisurely option, and they will offer excursions to fit who is onboard that week. 

These small-ship expedition cruises offer the ability to be more nimble compared with the traditional voyages on bigger ships.  

3. Wildlife in Abundance 

We spotted this bear on shore while visiting the Esther Island salmon hatchery in Prince William Sound. (Photo by John Roberts)

I really love how active these trips can be, with plenty of exercise in the wonderful outdoor spaces. And getting to see wildlife up close — often really close! — makes the days even more special. 

I’ve been to Alaska three times with UnCruise on the various itineraries the line offers. On these cruises — plus on my trip with Ocean Victory — we had dozens of whale sighting, covering a number of species, such as right whales, fin whales, minkes and others . Orcas swam around our small ship as we looked on from the bow and other outer decks. Humpbacks would bubble-net feed and breech creating a stunning display of their power as we all gasped in awe.  

We’ve kayaked close to sea lions as all kinds of sea birds flew overhead. We’ve seen bald eagles almost every day, and were delighted when dolphins, Dall’s porpoises and sea otters would curiously visit our ships.  

There were brown and black bears on nearby shorelines and wandering along salmon-packed rivers and streams. Plus, Dall’s sheep and mountain goats would appear on the rocky slopes of the fjords. 

The animals are definitely a main attraction for these Alaska cruises, and the small-ship voyages offer the best chance to get spontaneous up-close sightings. This is perfect for avid photographers, too. Also, the captain and your guides will adjust your planned schedule to stay around the animals when they appear, or move to an area where there is a sighting of a pod of whales or bears, for example.  

Like I said, it’s fully flexible, with no set schedules. 

4. Glaciers Up Close 

We were able to go right up to Meares Glacier to witness this rare retreating glacier formation. (Photo by John Roberts)

Another main attraction for your Alaska cruise is the glaciers. I saw plenty on my multiple cruises in Southeast Alaska, but I was blown away on my Prince William Sound voyage this year. There were even more to see, and we were able to get extremely close to some of them.  

We took a skiff tour up to the face of Chenega Glacier and kayaked near Tiger Tail Glacier, which was an incredible spectacle, with chunks of the glacier face dropping into the waters (calving) and creating a thunderous crashing and rolling waves in the bay. 

We also were able to walk right up and play among the massive chunks in an iceberg garden (grounded chunks at low tide) at Columbia Glacier, as well as touch the face of a rare retreating formation (Meares Glacier) during a hike near the end of our voyage as we visited Granite Bay 

This was all in addition to seeing all kinds of glaciers hanging in the mountains as we cruised during many of our days.  

5. Polar Plunging 

The polar plunge is a lively celebration for cruisers on expedition sailing in Alaska. I’m always willing to jump right in. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)

This is a really fun activity that you don’t see on the big cruise ships in Alaska. 

The polar plunge is a celebration that happens during many Alaska expedition cruises. We always have done them near the end of our week to cap off our experiences and celebrate the memorable voyage.  

If you’re up for it, you can jump into the fresh and frigid waters. Dozens of brave plungers always participate, and I’ve been on cruises where many of the crew and even the captain joins in. It’s so invigorating and a real blast. You might jump in from a skiff boat or more likely from a platform off the back of your ship. 

Photos are taken to commemorate the jumps, and hot drinks or shots of vodka are awaiting you when you climb back onboard. There is a real buzz throughout the ship, with lots of cheering and plenty of wide smiles.